Arabian dreams: Abu Dhabi celebrates City's title triumph

Story highlights

Manchester City's title win celebrated in Abu Dhabi, home of the club's owners

Club was brought out by member of Abu Dhabi royal family in September 2008

Sheikh Mansour has spent estimated $600 million on players alone since then

Qatar and Dubai also making their presence felt in European football

As Manchester City's delirious fans spilled onto the pitch to revel in their team's remarkable English title win on Sunday, the celebrations also kicked off thousands of miles away in Abu Dhabi.

In one cafe in the United Arab Emirates capital, some fans stood and danced, one even leaped onto a table, while others simply smiled contentedly as they puffed on their shisha pipes.

City's dramatic 3-2 win over Queens Park Rangers was beamed to an estimated global audience of 4.7 billion in a powerful advert for just why Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan splashed out $320 million to buy the English Premier League club in 2008.

The title was won at the Etihad Stadium. The players wore shirts emblazoned with the Etihad Airways logo -- the Abu Dhabi-based airline.

JUST WATCHED

Manchester City wins EPL

MUST WATCH

JUST WATCHED

Man City's last gasp goal wins title

MUST WATCH

Man City's last gasp goal wins title01:15

PLAY VIDEO

"For a lot of the people here, they say that they didn't even follow the Premier League until Manchester City was bought by the Abu Dhabi group," reported CNN's Leone Lakhani in Abu Dhabi, "so you can imagine they've been extremely happy with the results the entire year.

"It elevates the country's emergence as a major sporting power."

Owner Sheikh Mansour, a member of the country's ruling family, wasn't at the stadium on Sunday -- he has been to only one match at the Etihad -- and hasn't yet commented on the club's first title win in 44 years.

But it was Sheikh Mansour who invested more than $600 million on players like Aguero, Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez, and helped the perennial underachievers beat neighbors Manchester United to the title on goal difference.

The incredible images on Sunday delivered the message on his behalf.

Etihad Airways, which carried a message of congratulations to City on its website on Monday, reportedly paid more than $600 million for stadium naming rights and shirt sponsorship over 10 years, but the benefits are huge.

"When you win national and international titles, the exposure to a very, very relevant target audience for us couldn't be better," Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer of the airline, told CNN.

While so many European countries are in financial difficulties, it isn't just Abu Dhabi taking advantage of football's global appeal.

How Battle of Manchester was won – On a day of high drama and emotion, the blue half of Manchester was left to celebrate as Manchester City pipped their city rivals to the title. Click on for the highlights ...

Hide Caption

1 of 11

Celebration and heartache: A city divided11 photos

20 mins: Manchester United, relying on City to slip up against QPR, score first through Wayne Rooney in their must-win match at Sunderland. Advantage United!

Hide Caption

2 of 11

Celebration and heartache: A city divided11 photos

39 mins: Back in Manchester, Pablo Zabaleta puts City back in the driving seat as Paddy Kenny fails to keep his shot out.

Hide Caption

3 of 11

Celebration and heartache: A city divided11 photos

48 minutes: A terrible mistake from Joleon Lescott allows Djibril Cisse (center) to race through and equalize for QPR. Advantage well and truly with United!

Hide Caption

4 of 11

Celebration and heartache: A city divided11 photos

54 minutes: With City looking shell-shocked, QPR captain Joey Barton is sent off after a clash with Carlos Tevez.

... while United players look dejected as the result from Manchester filters through.

Hide Caption

11 of 11

EXPAND GALLERY

Yaya Toure's football journey 8 photos

Yaya Toure's football journey8 photos

Toure's title mission – Yaya Toure's two goals against Newcastle put Manchester City in pole position to clinch the English Premier League title. The club's last domestic championship came in 1968.

Hide Caption

1 of 8

Yaya Toure's football journey8 photos

Long wait ends – The Ivory Coast international scored the only goal in last year's English FA Cup final against Stoke, ending a 35-year trophy drought for City.

Hide Caption

2 of 8

Yaya Toure's football journey8 photos

Family affair – Toure's older brother Kolo joined Manchester City a year earlier in 2009, having moved from English rivals Arsenal.

Hide Caption

3 of 8

Yaya Toure's football journey8 photos

European champion – The midfielder was not such a key player at his previous club Barcelona, and filled a central defensive role in the 2009 Champions League final victory against Manchester United.

Hide Caption

4 of 8

Yaya Toure's football journey8 photos

Cup king – Two weeks earlier, also playing in defense, Toure scored the opening goal as Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the Spanish Cup final.

Hide Caption

5 of 8

Yaya Toure's football journey8 photos

International Ivorian – Toure played in the Ivory Coast's first World Cup in 2006, and also appeared at the 2010 tournament. He suffered defeat in final of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, and his six-week absence was crucial to City's loss of form.

Hide Caption

6 of 8

Yaya Toure's football journey8 photos

European experience – Toure has played in the European Champions League for several seasons, and is pictured here on duty for Greek club Olympiakos against Lyon in 2004.

Hide Caption

7 of 8

Yaya Toure's football journey8 photos

Humble beginnings – He started his European career with Beveren in Belgium, before moving to Ukraine's Metalurh Donetsk in 2004 along with compatriots Arsene Ne (left) and Igor Lolo (center).

Hide Caption

8 of 8

EXPAND GALLERY

The highs and lows of Mario Balotelli 5 photos

The highs and lows of Mario Balotelli 5 photos

A promising start for Inter Milan – Balotelli's first-team debut came in December 2007 as a subsitute with Internazionale. Three days later the 17-year-old scored two goals during Inter's 4-1 Coppa Italia win against Reggina.

Hide Caption

1 of 5

The highs and lows of Mario Balotelli 5 photos

Balotelli makes Inter history – Balotelli became the youngest Inter player to score in the Champions League in November 2008 when he netted against Cyprus's Anorthosis Famagusta. He was 18 at the time.

Hide Caption

2 of 5

The highs and lows of Mario Balotelli 5 photos

A love/hate relationship? – Man City signed Balotelli from Inter for £24m in August 2010. The deal was made under manager Robert Mancini who this week hinted the player may be sold unless he reels in his controversial behavior.

Hide Caption

3 of 5

The highs and lows of Mario Balotelli 5 photos

Balotelli sees red again – Balotelli is red-carded after a foul on Arsenal's Barcary Sagna on Sunday. Man City lost the match 1-0, with manager Robert Mancini later saying: "It's clear he's created big problems, but he's scored important goals."

Hide Caption

4 of 5

The highs and lows of Mario Balotelli 5 photos

Headline maker on and off the pitch – Berlotelli's off-pitch antics have taken their toll on the squad with manager Robert Mancini admitting last week he'd punch the forward in the head if they were teammates. It's been a rocky year for the 21-year-old who caused severe damage when he let off fireworks in his bathroom and on Thursday crashed his Bentley in Manchester.

Hide Caption

5 of 5

EXPAND GALLERY

Emboldened by the country's shock winning bid to host the 2022 World Cup, Qatar has since worked on spreading its influence across Europe.

Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) reportedly paid $220 million over five years to put the Qatar Foundation name on Barcelona's shirt , but it is in France where the tiny natural gas-rich nation is really making its presence felt.

QSI took over Paris Saint-Germain last summer, hoping not just to awake a sleeping giant of the French game but to create a new European powerhouse.

To that end, PSG brought Brazilian Leonardo on board as sporting director, paid a French record $56 million to sign Javier Pastore and hired Carlo Ancelotti as coach.

PSG might miss out on the league title -- trailing Montpellier by three points with one game remaining -- but the potentially exciting end to the season at least justifies al-Jazeera's investment in the Ligue Un domestic television rights at a reported €510 million a year until 2016.

Al-Jazeera also has the international rights to the league, as well as most of the UEFA Champions League rights in France from 2012, and there are even suggestions that the broadcaster could make a bid for the UK rights for the English Premier League.

It is all designed to establish Qatar as a global sporting power, which the country hopes will be confirmed in 2022 when it hosts the biggest single-event sporting competition in the world.

The growing appeal of Qatar's domestic league has also been highlighted in recent times, with former Spain and Real Madrid striker Raul swapping German Bundesliga side Schalke for Al-Sadd in the Qatar Stars League.

For now, though, it is Abu Dhabi in the spotlight as it joins the blue half of the city of Manchester in joyous celebration.